10 things to know about meteor that lit up Michigan

The night of January 16, 2018 will be remembered by Michiganders for a long time as the night they saw and felt a meteor hit the state. The bright light and loud boom shocked a lot of people. Some believed it was lighting and thunder. But it wasn't.

Here are 10 things to know about the meteor that hit Michigan.

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Yes, it was a meteor

The National Weather Service has confirmed the "meteor occurred around 8:10pm."

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The boom actually registered as an earthquake in Michigan

We're talking officially a 2.0 on the Richter Scale, according to the National Weather Service.

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The quake's epicenter

The National Weather Service says the approximate epicenter was around 24 mile and North Groesbeck Hwy. just southwest of New Haven and North of Sterling Heights and Mount Clemens.

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The event which occurred is known as a bolide

A bolide is a large meteor that explodes in the atmosphere. According to Michael Liemohn, Professor of Sciences at the University of Michigan in an interview with WDIV-TV, "the delay between the flash of light and rumble sound was due to the explosion being high up in the atmosphere, miles away."

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Bolides happen more often than you think

Professor Liemohn also said in his interview with WDIV-TV, "numerous times a year, rocks the size of several feet across or bigger will come down into our atmosphere from outerspace."

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People in several states saw the meteor

Along with people in Michigan, there are reports of sightings in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri. People also reported seeing it in Ontario, Canada.

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What was the meteor's path?

According to MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa, the meteor flew over southeast Michigan heading from north to south.

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Where did debris likely land?

MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa says if debris did hit the ground, it landed likely between Flint and Ypsilanti. Possibly around Howell or Lansing.

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The meteor's size

While we don't know exactly how big this meteor was, MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa says most meteors put on a big light show despite being only the size of a grain of sand.

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Keep an eye out for strange debris

MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa says the material in a meteorite is of high interest to scientists. Keep your eyes peeled. You may find some rare treasures.

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More shocked reactions from people on social media

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Saw a big flash driving home tonight. Thought it was a transformer atop a nearby telephone pole exploding. Nope, just a meteor...

The dogs don't even whine when a giant meteor streaks across the sky lighting up the nighttime but later when the neighbor walks outside with a flashlight, the barking is never-ending. #meteor#WatchDogs

I can't decide what's a worse fake missile encounter - being in a bar oblivious to a meteor that the rest of the outside thought was a missile... or getting a notification on your phone that a missile is coming but never does.

I thought for one second it was lightning and yes we're having a thunderstorm!! And then my second thought was it's freezing cold and snowing in Michigan it is not a thunderstorm.... yes I am a natural blonde 😩 #meteor

Good evening tweeter fam,Well for the first time in my life we my child and I got to see and hear and feel the boom and saw the light of a meteor a part of one hit an area of metro Detroit and we had a 2.0 earthquake from it yikes... hope those who were in it